With just a few weeks of school remaining, the student government is still unsure what the Senior Class gift will be.
During the 2001-2002 school year, there was talk of donating money toward an electronic sign, but nothing happened.
This year, there is talk of creating a one-time scholarship for seniors, and Senior Class President Beth Brown promises something will happen.
“We will for sure have a senior class gift,” she said.
While a gift is not required, the tradition is for the Senior Class President to use some budget money to leave office having benefited the campus in some way.
Last year, the senior class president gave $6,000 toward TRAX station art. In the 2000-2001 school year, $8,000 went to Red Butte Garden to buy trees.
As of now, Brown said she feels pretty good about giving out a scholarship, but hasn’t decided whether to award one student around $2,000 or to award many students lesser amounts. Regardless, winners would be “well-rounded” seniors.
“It’s giving money back to the students,” Brown said.
But not all students agree that a scholarship would be the best way to spend the available money.
“I think that’s a bogus idea because that scholarship wouldn’t benefit hardly anyone…it would do good for one person,” said student Tyler Brown. “If they’re going to do a senior present, it should be something more encompassing.”
John Martin, a senior next year, said it would be “pretty sweet” if he won the award, but “could care less if somebody else got it.”
Tyler Brown said he would like to see the money put into the athletics department to improve the weight-training facilities, but admitted that his idea wouldn’t end up benefiting all students either.
To proceed with the idea, Beth Brown said she is going to meet with an administrative adviser to see if she is allowed to use her budget money in that way. If not, her plans may fall through as they did for the Associated Students of the University of Utah two years ago with the electronic sign.
That year, the senior class president said there was $2,700 available for a gift, but ASUU accountant George Lindsey had no record of that money ever leaving ASUU accounts.